Bills Place Landon Jackson On IR, Open T.J. Sanders’ Practice Window
Bills rookie defensive end Landon Jackson tore his MCL and PCL in the first quarter of a 30-13 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday, according to insider Jordan Schultz. Buffalo placed Jackson on injured reserve on Tuesday. Jackson is expected to make a full recovery, per Schultz, but he’s facing an extended absence.
Jackson is now the fourth member of the Bills’ nine-player 2025 draft class to land on IR. First-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston, second-round defensive tackle T.J. Sanders, and sixth-round corner Dorian Strong have all been shelved with various injuries this year.
Strong is out for the foreseeable future with a neck issue, but Hairston made his debut in Week 8. Sanders, who has missed five straight games after undergoing knee surgery, could rejoin the Bills’ defense soon. They opened his 21-day practice window on Tuesday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN reports.
The Bills used a third-rounder on Jackson after a productive run at Arkansas, but they’ve gotten little from that investment so far. The team has made Jackson a healthy inactive in six of its nine games. In the three contests Jackson has played, the 22-year-old has combined for a mere 30 defensive snaps.
The Bills plugged Jackson in against the Dolphins a week after losing Michael Hoecht for the rest of the season with an Achilles tear. They also were without A.J. Epenesa in Miami because of a concussion. If Epenesa returns this week against the Buccaneers, he’ll rejoin a group of ends consisting of Joey Bosa, Greg Rousseau, and Javon Solomon.
While Jackson may be done for the year, a potential Sanders return would add another option to a depleted defensive line. The Bills traded up to draft Sanders 41st overall. The former South Carolina Gamecock got off to a slow start during the first four games of his career, however, recording two tackles.
Ed Oliver, the Bills’ most effective D-tackle, will not return during the regular season after suffering a torn biceps in Week 8. With him and Sanders on IR, DaQuan Jones, fourth-round rookie Deone Walker, Larry Ogunjobi, Jordan Phillips, and Phidarian Mathis represent the team’s healthy DT options. The injury issues have contributed to the Bills’ woes against the run. They rank 30th in the league in rushing yards per game allowed.
Scouring the open market for help, the Bills tried out free agent defensive lineman Morgan Fox on Tuesday, Getzenberg relays. Fox has gone unsigned since the Falcons released him in August, which came as a surprise after he signed a two-year deal with them in March. A former Ram, Panther, and Charger, Fox was teammates with Bosa from 2022-24. Although Fox missed the 2018 campaign with an ACL tear, he went on to appear in 100 straight regular-season games after that. The 31-year-old has racked up 27.5 sacks, including 3.5 in 2024.
Along with their injury troubles on defense, the Bills may go without an important part of their offense, tight end Dalton Kincaid, for a sizable chunk of time. Kincaid suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday, and head coach Sean McDermott said he’s now considered week-to-week (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic).
A former first-round pick from Utah, Kincaid has hauled in 29 of 36 targets for 448 yards and a career-best four touchdowns in his third NFL season. Fellow tight ends Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes, a rookie fifth-rounder, have gotten even more offensive snaps than Kincaid this year. They’ll continue to log significant playing time down the stretch, but losing Kincaid is a major blow for an offense that lacks dependable pass catchers.
Bills Staying With OC Joe Brady; Brian Daboll Reunion Not Under Consideration
Bills head coach Sean McDermott has worked with four different offensive coordinators since taking the reins in 2017. He’s not ready to move on to a fifth. McDermott said Monday that Joe Brady will remain the team’s offensive coordinator, per Andrew Siciliano.
Questions about Brady’s status came after one of McDermott’s former O-coordinators, Brian Daboll, lost his head coaching job with the Giants on Monday. That could make him a fit to return to Buffalo’s offensive staff in some capacity, but McDermott shot down the possibility.
“That’s not under any kind of consideration,” McDermott said when asked about a potential reunion with Daboll.
Daboll, who attended high school outside of Buffalo and went to college in nearby Rochester, was the Bills’ O-coordinator from 2018-21. He’s often credited with aiding in the development of quarterback Josh Allen, a high-risk first-round pick in 2018 who has evolved into an elite signal-caller.
The Allen era got off to a slow start, but the Bills’ Daboll-coached offense finished top five in both points and yards in 2020 and ’21. Daboll then left for the Giants, with whom he went 20-40-1 over three-plus seasons.
With Daboll on his way to the Giants, the Bills promoted passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey as his replacement. They rolled out a stellar offense again in Year 1 under Dorsey, but they fired him in November 2023. Although the Bills ranked a respectable eighth in points and yards at the time, they were coming off two straight losses and sporting a mediocre 5-5 record. In McDermott’s estimation, that was enough to ax Dorsey.
The Bills handed the offensive keys to Brady, then their QBs coach, on an interim basis. The move sparked a 6-1 finish and a third straight AFC East title, and the offense improved to fourth in yards and sixth in points. Brady earned a full-time promotion as a result. While the Bills fell to 10th in yards last year, the first season of the post-Stefon Diggs era, they scored the second-most points in the league. Allen took home MVP honors.
Brady’s performance in 2024 was enough for him to earn head coaching consideration last winter. New Orleans was among the interested teams, but with the Saints having the last opening remaining in late January, Brady bowed out of the race and stayed in Buffalo.
The 36-year-old Brady is again in control of an offense that has been a resounding statistical success this season. The Bills sit second in the league in yards and sixth in points, though inquiries about his job security come on the heels of a brutal loss to the Dolphins in Week 10.
The Bills dropped to 6-3 in a 30-13 romp in Miami on Sunday. A Dolphins defense depleted by injuries and the trade of Jaelan Phillips to the Eagles held the Bills scoreless over the first three quarters of the game. The Bills committed three costly turnovers on the Dolphins’ side of the field, including an end zone interception by Allen.
It was apparent yet again that the Bills are lacking at wide receiver. General manager Brandon Beane didn’t make a trade to address the issue before the Nov. 4 deadline, but he reportedly attempted to acquire Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle. He stayed put and wound up burning the Bills for five catches, 84 yards, and a touchdown on Sunday.
After a dismal all-around showing in Miami, the Bills will face a stiffer test at home against the NFC South-leading Buccaneers in Week 11. Brady will remain in charge of the offense as the Bills aim for a bounce-back effort.
Giants GM Joe Schoen To Lead HC Search
Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll joined the organization together in 2022, but they’re not leaving as a package deal. After Daboll steered the Giants to a 20-40-1 record, including a 2-8 start this year, they fired him on Monday. Owners John Mara and Steve Tisch agreed it was time to move on from Daboll during a phone conversation on Monday morning, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports.
Mara and Tisch made the decision to choose offensive coordinator Mike Kafka as the Giants’ interim head coach, according to Schwartz. The team later announced that Schoen is staying on to lead the search for a full-time successor to Daboll.
“We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development,” said Mara. Unfortunately, the results over the past three years have not been what any of us want. We take full responsibility for those results and look forward to the kind of success our fans expect.”
The Giants’ official statement will be the last time they address the Daboll firing for now, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports. They’re not planning to make ownership or Schoen available for interviews this week.
This isn’t the ending the Giants envisioned when the Schoen/Daboll reign began in promising fashion in 2022. The Giants went 9-7-1 and won a wild-card playoff game over the Vikings before losing to the Eagles in the divisional round. Daboll earned Coach of the Year honors.
New York has posted horrid results over the past two-plus years, but Mara and Tisch continue to hold Schoen in high regard, per Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports. Giants ownership is of the belief that Schoen has been a significant upgrade over predecessor Dave Gettleman, who was at the helm from 2018-21. The Giants stumbled to a 19-46 mark under Gettleman and failed to earn a playoff berth.
Although the team Schoen has assembled will miss the playoffs for the third year in a row, the Giants have enough talent to make their head coaching job a “coveted” opening, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says. A new head coach stands to inherit first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart, No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers, co-NFL sacks leader Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Dexter Lawrence, among other enticing pieces.
While it could be a couple of months before the Giants name their next head coach, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Raiders HC Antonio Pierce, and Colts DC Lou Anarumo are among names to watch, Rapoport relays.
Spagnuolo has won four Super Bowls as a coordinator, including one with the Giants under Tom Coughlin, but he finished an ugly 10-38 as the St. Louis Rams’ head coach from 2009-11. Spagnuolo then went 1-3 as the Giants’ interim head coach in 2017, briefly taking over after the firing of Ben McAdoo.
Pierce had a great run as a Giants linebacker from 2005-09, winning a title as part of a Spagnuolo-coached defense. Like Spagnuolo, though, Pierce’s initial experience as an NFL head coach didn’t go well. The Raiders dismissed Pierce last January after going 9-17 under him in parts of two seasons.
Anarumo is a Staten Island native who worked as the Giants’ defensive backs coach in 2018. His son currently serves as a pro scout in the organization, Vacchiano notes. Anarumo, then the Bengals’ D-coordinator, interviewed for the Giants’ head coaching job before it went to Daboll. The longtime assistant “left a strong impression” during that meeting, sources told Vacchiano. With Anarumo an important part of the Colts’ unexpected turnaround this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Giants or other teams in the market for a head coach speak with him in the coming months.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/10/25
Here are Monday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Mecole Hardman
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Antwaun Powell-Ryland
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DE Ahmed Hassanein
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Nate Lynn
- Released: WR Lance McCutcheon
In search of a wide receiver before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, the Bills reportedly made a substantial offer to the AFC East rival Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins ended up keeping Waddle, though, and the Bills were unable to acquire any other receivers ahead of the deadline.
Still desperate for help at the position after a 30-13 loss to Waddle and the Dolphins in Week 10, the Bills are bringing in Hardman to join Gabe Davis as experienced options on their practice squad. Hardman had gone without a team since the Packers released him from their practice squad on Sept. 23.
Aside from a five-game run with the Jets in 2023, all of Hardman’s regular-season work in the NFL has come with the Chiefs. The 2019 second-round pick from Georgia has amassed 178 catches, 2,302 yards, and 16 touchdowns in 80 games. He made 12 appearances with the AFC champions last year and caught 12 of 14 targets for 90 yards.
Steelers Cut S Juan Thornhill
Continuing to make noteworthy changes at the safety position, the Steelers have cut Juan Thornhill, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. Thornhill will go through waivers. If no team claims him, he’ll become a free agent.
The Steelers have shaken things up at safety since starter DeShon Elliott suffered a serious knee injury in Week 8. Elliott is now on IR.
Shortly after losing Elliott, the Steelers acquired Kyle Dugger from the Patriots on Oct. 28. Dugger has since stepped into a starting role next to longtime cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who transitioned to free safety during a Week 9 win over the Colts.
With Dugger and Ramsey taking over at safety, Thornhill worked exclusively on special teams against Indianapolis and in Pittsburgh’s loss to the Chargers on Sunday. The 30-year-old started in one of nine games, logged a 48.5% snap share on defense, and totaled 38 tackles this season before the Steelers moved on from him.
After coming off the board in the second round of the 2019 draft, Thornhill divided his first six NFL seasons between Kansas City and Cleveland. He served as a full-time starter on two of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning teams before spending two years with the Browns.
The Browns released Thornhill last offseason, leading him to the Steelers on a one-year, $3MM deal. Although his union with the Steelers didn’t work out, Thornhill – who has 75 career starts and eight interceptions – could be attractive to safety-needy clubs down the stretch. If a team claims him, it would take on the remainder of his league-minimum base salary.
With Thornhill on his way out, the Steelers claimed safety Sebastian Castro off waivers from the Buccaneers on Monday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com relays. Castro signed with the Steelers as an undrafted rookie from Iowa in late April, but the Buccaneers plucked him off their practice squad on Sept. 30. He appeared in one game with the Bucs and totaled six snaps (all on special teams). Castro will join Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers among the Steelers’ depth options at safety.
Cardinals WR Zay Jones Suffers Torn Achilles
Cardinals wide receiver Zay Jones suffered a season-ending left Achilles tear in a 44-22 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, head coach Jonathan Gannon announced (via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN). Jones, who’s expected to undergo surgery, will land on IR.
Jones sustained the injury during the second quarter of Sunday’s disastrous defeat to an NFC West rival. He finished the game with no catches and one target. The 30-year-old will wrap up the campaign with 12 receptions, 18 targets, and 183 yards. With Jones scheduled to hit the open market in the offseason, the timing and the severity of the injury are especially unfortunate.
Jones joined the Cardinals in free agency on a one-year, $2.25MM deal in May 2024. The agreement with Arizona came after the former East Carolina star and second-round pick divided his first seven NFL seasons among the Bills, Raiders, and Jaguars. During the best year of his career, 2022, he piled up 82 receptions for 823 yards and five touchdowns in Jacksonville.
Jones’ Cardinals tenure began inauspiciously last year with a five-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Although Jones caught a mere eight passes for 84 yards in 11 games after returning, the Cardinals brought him back on a one-year, $4.4MM contract last offseason. With Jones already done for the year in early November, the team will get little from that investment.
Jones currently ranks third among Cardinals WRs in catches, targets, and yards, trailing Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson in those categories. Harrison, Wilson, and tight end Trey McBride will continue serving as quarterback Jacoby Brissett‘s top options as he fills in for injured starter Kyler Murray, who will miss at least three more games with a mid-foot sprain. Receivers Greg Dortch and Xavier Weaver could get more work as the Cardinals look to replace Jones’ output.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/10/25
Here’s a look at Monday’s minor moves from around the NFL…
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: LB Brian Asamoah II
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: LB Kristian Welch
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed from practice squad: LS Jake McQuaide
- Waived: LS Alex Ward
Tennessee Titans
- Designated to return from IR: S Mike Brown, RB Kalel Mullings
The Titans will have 21 days to activate Brown and Mullings after opening their practice windows. Brown worked exclusively on special teams over four games before going on IR with a knee injury on Oct. 4. Mullings, a sixth-round rookie from Michigan, appeared in two games but didn’t record any offensive snaps before an ankle injury sent him to IR on Sept. 26.
Eagles Activate LB Nolan Smith From IR
The Eagles are getting a pass-rushing reinforcement back ahead of a Monday night showdown with the Packers. The team has activated edge rusher Nolan Smith from IR, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Smith is returning less than a week after Philadelphia opened his 21-day practice window.
The Eagles have gotten off to a 6-2 start despite limited contributions from Smith, who has been out since suffering a strained triceps in Week 3. Smith started in his first three appearances this year and logged 10 tackles.
After working in a reserve role as a rookie, the 2023 first-round pick from Georgia broke through last season with 42 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 16 games (10 starts). Smith performed even better during the Eagles’ four-game playoff run, notching 16 tackles and four sacks to help the team to a championship. However, he tore his triceps in the Eagles’ 40-22 Super Bowl LIX win over the Chiefs and had to undergo surgery.
Fortunately for Smith and the Eagles, the 24-year-old’s latest triceps injury wasn’t as severe as the one he suffered last February. He’ll now return to a pass-rushing group that has undergone a makeover during the past couple of weeks. The Eagles brought franchise icon Brandon Graham out of retirement in late October. Not content to stop there, general manager Howie Roseman acquired Jaelan Phillips from the Dolphins for a third-round pick before last Tuesday’s trade deadline.
The Smith-Graham-Phillips trio will play together for the first time Monday in a potential playoff preview against the 5-2-1 Packers. They’ll join Jalyx Hunt and Joshua Uche as the Eagles’ main edge options.
Along with activating Smith, the Eagles elevated outside linebacker Patrick Johnson from their practice squad on Monday. Johnson has played in seven games this year and picked up one sack. With 136 special teams snaps this season, he ranks fifth on the team.
Seahawks Place DT Jarran Reed, WR Dareke Young On IR
NOVEMBER 9: General manager John Schneider said on a Seattle Sports radio appearance (via Condotta) Reed recently underwent surgery on his wrist. Recovery from the procedure has not gone as planned, so instead of continuing to play through the issue (as he did last week) Reed will look to fully heal while on IR.
NOVEMBER 8: The Seahawks announced that they have placed defensive tackle Jarran Reed and wide receiver Dareke Young on IR. Reed is dealing with wrist and thumb issues, while Young has a quadriceps injury. Both players will miss a minimum of four games.
Reed, a 10th-year man who began his second stint with the Seahawks in 2023, has once again been a significant contributor this season. Appearing in all eight of the 6-2 Seahawks’ games before his IR placement, Reed has logged a 47.3% snap share with 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks. The 6-foot-3, 315-pounder’s wrist injury limited him to a season-low 17 snaps in a blowout win over the Commanders last week.
Although Reed’s wrist has bothered him, the IR placement comes as a surprise after he was a full participant in practice during the week. Reed’s thumb problem seems to be a new development, though, and it will help lead to a lengthy absence. As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes, only Reed’s wrist malady was listed on the injury report throughout the week. The team announced his thumb injury on Saturday.
Young has totaled just four catches in 39 games since the Seahawks used a seventh-round pick on him in 2022. The 26-year-old has picked up a pair of receptions for 48 yards in six games this season. Most of Young’s impact has come on special teams, where he has played 48.4% of snaps in 2025.
Along with Young, the Seahawks are dealing with injuries to fellow receivers Cooper Kupp (hamstring, heel), Tory Horton (groin, shin), and Jake Bobo (calf) ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the NFC West rival Cardinals. Kupp is questionable, Horton is doubtful, and Bobo is out.
To replenish their depth, the Seahawks signed D-tackle Quinton Bohanna and receiver Cody White from their practice squad to their 53-man roster on Saturday. They also elevated receiver Ricky White III and linebacker Patrick O’Connell from their practice squad.
Jets’ Breece Hall Didn’t Request Trade; Latest On Jermaine Johnson
The Jets grabbed the most headlines in the NFL at the Nov. 4 trade deadline, moving on from star defenders Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams in blockbusters with the Colts and Cowboys. After the departures of Gardner and Williams on Tuesday, a report that running back Breece Hall wanted a trade emerged. Nothing came together, leaving Hall to finish the season with the Jets.
Addressing the rumors earlier this week, Hall said that he did not request a trade, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. At the same time, the 24-year-old neither confirmed nor denied whether he would have welcomed a change of scenery. With his first-ever trip to the open market on the horizon in the offseason, Hall will be able to choose where he plays in 2026. That is, if the Jets don’t slap the franchise tag on him.
While Hall may not have asked out of New York before the deadline, he did think the team would trade him, Armando Salguero of OutKick relays. The Jets reportedly turned down a fourth-round offer from the Chiefs. Gang Green wasn’t going to budge for less than a third-rounder.
Like Hall, Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson was popular in the rumor mill leading up to the deadline. Johnson also stayed put, but it wasn’t for lack of interest. The 49ers were among the teams in on Johnson, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, who reports that one club offered the Jets a third-rounder for him.
It’s unclear if that was San Francisco, but a swap with the 49ers would have reunited Johnson with Robert Saleh. Now the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Saleh was the Jets’ head coach when they used a first-rounder on Johnson in 2022. He made his lone Pro Bowl under Saleh in 2023.
A deadline day report indicated the Jets had netted at least one second-round offer for Johnson, but Jones’ information clashes with that. The Jets wanted a second-rounder for Johnson, per Jones. General manager Darren Mougey wasn’t going to move Johnson for less. The Jets picked up Johnson’s fifth-year option for 2026 last spring, meaning they’re not in immediate danger of losing him to free agency.
The Jets wouldn’t part with Hall or Johnson before the deadline, but those two will remain fascinating names to watch during the offseason. The team has a few months to re-sign Hall – if that fails, it could tag him – and Johnson is likely to draw trade interest again in 2026.